ilovemyfoodlots.

Tuesday, 22 November 2016

Mr Nice Cafe is a cosy café located in Jingan, one of the central districts of Shanghai. It’s easily accessible by train and you can’t really miss it cause it situated close to the famous Jingan Temple.

You wouldn’t expect to find decent western food in China would you? One would usually be acquainted with faux western food that's usually below average or fusion style. You’ll be surprised because we definitely were. Shanghai doesn’t really have a big cafe culture yet, as compared to say Korea where you see an abundance of little cafes serving great food and coffee.

The cafe is extremely popular with the younger adults and does get busy during lunch and dinner. There
are limited seats downstairs and more available upstairs.

They offer bistro food and if you feel like high tea in the afternoon you could do that too.Given that it was quite humid in Shanghai,
the best way to cool down was to have a nice cold drink.

The ‘Grapefruit Green Tea’ was refreshingly
tasty and served in such a cute pot with a swirly straw.

The ‘Orange Juice’ is freshly
squeezed.

‘Spicy Seafood Pasta (RMB 58.00)’ was my
dish of choice. The balance of flavours
was just right with a hint of chilli. There was enough sauce to coat the
spaghetti and a generous amount of fresh seafood. The spaghetti was cooked al-dente.

I would definitely order this again if I came back.

‘Spaghetti Bolognese (RMB 55.00)’ is a classic dish and usually the safest option when presented on a menu. This one didn’t disappoint. A good combination of flavours from the mince, tomato and garlic.

Having stalked their Instagram account, I was drooling over every picture of their Mille Feuille, a French pastry with multiple layers of puff pastry and crème patisserie in between.

And here it is. That was the most anticipated dish of my entire trip. If you know me well, you would know how much I love eating cakes. Who doesn’t love a good dessert? Way too pretty to eat, just look at this beauty!

The ‘Strawberry Napoleon Cake (RMB 38.00)’ is their signature dessert. Crispy layers of flaky pastry are separated by a smooth and light cream, then topped with fresh
strawberries. It's a match made in heaven.Usually these desserts could be too sweet but their version was
perfect and had the right balance of sweetness.

Can I have the whole cake please?

This was one of my favourite restaurants in
Shanghai. I enjoyed the laid back atmosphere away from the hustle and bustle of
city life. You could sit there for hour’s chit chatting away with your friends
if you had the time.

Sunday, 20 November 2016

Shanghai is different to what I imagined it to be and way beyond my expectations. A modern and cosmopolitan city where east meets west. It's the most populated city in China with a population of more than 24 million and growing.

Rapid developments and a massive transformation over the last few decades has seen the emergence of a plethora of high rise buildings everywhere literally. Shanghai is China's financial capital and is on a quest to becoming a global financial hub.

We weren't blessed with the best weather but I'm glad the pollution levels weren't at an all time high.

I love the mix of modern and ancient architecture.

The beautiful Yu Garden, believed to have been built during the Ming Dynasty.

The French Concession area is popular with the expats and an expensive address to boot.

Communication was the most difficult part
of travelling in China. The language barrier of not speaking Mandarin meant
getting around was difficult. A lot of people don’t speak
English so it was either rely on the internet to get information or point at
things. There was no easy way around it. Taking the metro is probably the
easiest form of transportation as it’s not only inexpensive but navigating
through the many lines available is relatively easy with English signage.

We caught the bullet train from Shanghai to
Beijing, a 5 hour train ride. I do recommend buying tickets earlier or booking
online as getting tickets on the day can be a difficult
process and overwhelming for some.

Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station is huge
and there are plenty of eateries within.

Yang’s Dumplings is a popular chain of restaurants with several branches throughout the city. It has been mentioned in guide books and is a must visit. Yang's Shanghainese style pan-fried dumplings are iconic.

From a distance you'll see the brightly lit signs and the words ‘Yang’s Dumpling'.

Plenty of seating is available.

There are English words on the menu so ordering shouldn’t be too hard, point if needed. Everything is super cheap and affordable.

The ‘Pork Dumplings (RMB 8.00)’ which are also known as shengjian comes in
parcels of 4. In a fluffy bread like skin and coated with sesame seed and spring onion, the bottoms of the dumplings have been shallow fried to a crispy golden brown.

The pork mince and hot soup filling is delicious
and tasty. Be warned the juices could be hot and burn your tongue!

The ‘Shepherd's Purse and Pork Dumplings (RMB
10.00)’are similar to the pork dumplings but contains a lot more greens and it isn’t as juicy nor as
flavoursome.

This dried chilli is a must have if you
like spicy foods. It adds a whole new dimension to the flavours.

‘Pork Wonton (RMB 10.00)’ is a generous
portion of slippery smooth dumplings with small pieces of meat encased in a soft
pastry skin. The bowl is filled with a light broth which we found to be a bit bland.

The ‘Fish Ball Soup (RMB 9.00)’ has tender
and bouncy fish balls. We were so full from the dumplings that we didn’t fully
get to enjoy these soups.

You can trust Yang’s Dumplings to deliver
on taste and consistency. It’s a must have and a decent place to get your fix of authentic
Shanghai dumplings with branches located throughout the city. I would personally just stick to the dumplings.